Venus Rising
by Silver Sailor Ganymede
Summary: Angel Raye's Chibi Senshi. Celine has got her memories back and is now Sailor Solar Venus. But what is this darkness that the senshi sense? And what has it got to do with Celine? COMPLETE!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. I do not own the Cosmic senshi, the Elysian senshi, the Crystal senshi, Sailor Solar Venus or any other OC's: they belong to Angel Raye.

**_(A.N: I just wanted to say thank you to Angel Raye for letting me use her wonderful characters in order to write this fic)_**

Venus Rising  
By Silver Sailor Ganymede

Prologue

Darkness: sheer, complete, eternal and enfolding darkness. The darkness was all around her, within her, even. She appeared a child of purity and light, and yet she was nothing like she seemed. Her sparkling blue eyes betrayed her true nature, the fact that she was not so much a fallen angel as a demon from Hell's depths. This demon held the form of a young woman, but she was truly much, much older.

The demon's name was Celine. Aino Celine to be exact. Or at least that was her name in this time: her name was, in truth, Venusiah Celena, but at that time Aino Celine would have to do. Yes, she was Aino Celine, the daughter of Cosmic Venus, granddaughter of the legendary Sailor Venus, and yet at the same time she was not. She was Celine, but she was not Sailor Solar Venus. No, she was Sendoma(1) Luna Venus, the side that Celine had embraced in her first life but had now shunned. Luna Venus had been expelled from Celine's soul during her rebirth, and now, just as she had for the past five millennia, she rested within the darkness, a demon with dark powers that rivalled the light powers held by Sailor Elysian-Moon.

Luna Venus smiled and stared out into the darkness that surrounded her. Soon, very soon, she would be powerful enough to escape from the cocoon of dark energy that surrounded her and enter the world once more. Yes, her power would soon be unrivalled throughout the universe: she would be able to take the Ginzuishou from those pitiful senshi, and nothing, absolutely _nothing_,would be able to stop her.

* * *

_**(1) Sendoma. This term is mentioned in my fics 'Silver Millennium, Rui's Story' and 'Sailor Moon, Fall of Crystal Tokyo'. It is usually used to address Sailors who do not serve the Galacxian Empire, but in this case it refers to the darker, more powerful equivalent of the Senshi.**_


	2. Chapter One

Chapter one 

Celine stared out at the moon, tears clouding her vision. She stared out into the star-spotted darkness and wished for the sun to come again. Celine loved the sun and the light, but she had always had a fear of the moon and the night. She had never before known what had caused her irrational fear of the darkness and of the silvery orb of the moon, but now, after the days' events, she knew why.

She was afraid of the moon because it had been the Moon Senshi who had first stripped her of her powers. She shuddered as she recalled the immense agony that the removal of her powers had caused her; yes, she could remember that all too clearly, the agony that had filled not only her body but her soul also.

She was afraid of the darkness and the night because she wished, more than anything, to prevent the darkness that had once consumed her from returning and consuming her soul once again.

Celine sighed and looked away from the moon, its shimmering orb of molten silver lighting up the sky. She didn't want to be reminded of what she had done in her past life. She shuddered at the thought that _anyone _could do such a thing to their own child: why, it seemed to her that she should be incapable of such an atrocity, and yet she was not.

Celine put her head into her hands and felt crystalline tears snake their way down her cheeks. So, it was her past self that had caused Tiffany, _her daughter_ (whom she now thought of as something of an aunt-figure, albeit that she was actually something more like Celine's great-niece) to have such a dark, haunted look in her jade-coloured eyes.

'You should stay away from them' the voice in the back of her mind hissed. 'Even though you're a senshi, you're evil. No matter that it was in a past life, you're evil, and nothing can change this fact.

'Just stay away from everyone and then you won't harm them.'

Celine shook her head, trying to quiet the voice, and clutched her senshi crystal closer to her heart. She was a senshi, and therefore she _couldn't possibly _be evil… could she?

She shook her head and turned away from the window, turning on her bedside lamp and blocking out all the darkness. No, the darkness and her conscience didn't bother her any more that night, but dreams haunted her as she fell into a restless sleep.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter two 

Gloria and Minako were sitting in Minako's quarters. Gloria was not her usual, spunky self and Minako had become concerned about her daughter. They sat in silence for a time, enjoying each other's company without feeling the need to speak, until at last Minako broke the silence.

"Look, Gloria, I know that something's troubling you; I just don't know what."

"Is it that obvious that I'm worried?"

"I'm your mother Gloria of course it's obvious to me that you're worried. Now tell me what it's about."

Gloria dropped her head into her hands and sighed.

"It's Celine isn't it?" Minako asked and Gloria nodded.

"She's changed, mother. She's changed completely ever since her memories were restored. It's almost as though…" she trailed of, taking a deep breath before continuing. "You see, it's almost as though she's regressed into the woman she was in her past life rather than remaining the child she is.

"I know she said that she was happy to have become a senshi, but I think, no, I _know _that Celine is probably being eaten up by guilt because of what her past self did to Tiffany, no matter that she was forgiven in the end."

Minako was stunned; she had never, _ever_ heard her eldest daughter be so serious. It shocked her, scared her even, because for Gloria to become so serious, Celine's personality must have changed drastically.

Gloria looked up at her mother again and continued.

"She's turned back into the ice-princess she turned into as a child, after she had visited the past. I had hoped that this wouldn't happen when we restored her memories, but… but…"

Gloria couldn't talk any more; she was too worried, far too worried, about her youngest (once eldest) daughter's state of mind.

"It'll sort itself out eventually," Minako said, trying to reassure herself as much as Gloria. "And even if it doesn't, the Mercury senshi will be able to sort it out." 'I hope' she added silently.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter three

'The time has come." The words echoed through Luna Venus' mind again and again. She smirked; so, after ten millennia, her time for true release from her prison had come. She had been forced to partially posses the first-born daughter of every seventh generation for ten millennia, but the rebirth of Aino Celine, who had, even in her fist life, been the worst effected by her presence, had strengthened Luna Venus immeasurably. And now the time she had been awaiting since before the coming of the White Moon family to Sol had come. Finally her powers had reached such a strength that she would be able to break free of her crystal prison and take not only Venus and Magellan but also Earth and the Moon; there was no Queen Kali to stop her this time.

'The time has come. The time has come.'

"Yes," she spoke, her own voice sounding alien and unfamiliar to her because of the darkness and silence in which she had been entrapped for millennia. "Yes. The time has come. The time has come for me to finally take my place as the rightful ruler of the Sol System. My victory is at hand, and as the child of Venus grows weaker with regret, I grow stronger.

"The time I have awaited has come."

Luna Venus closed her eyes and felt warmth spread throughout her body as her crystal prison shattered. She was left within the darkness, but she muttered an incantation in a language long forgotten, then a light appeared and thus freed the angelic-looking archdemon from her shadowy prison.

Yes, Luna Venus was free and soon, very soon, the Sol System, along with the mind of the Venus-child Celine Aino, would be hers and hers alone, just as it should always have been.**_

* * *

Review Responses: -_**

**_Richforce: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it._**

**_Kiyone4ever: I'm glad you've found this interesting so far! You make a very good point there: don't worry; I'm sure they have learned their lesson from last time._**

**_Angel Raye: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed this so far, and I hope you've enjoyed this part as well!_**


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter four 

Celine sat in the hall of meeting, watching her fellow senshi arrive one by one. This was the first senshi conference she had been called to in this life, and she was nervous. Peace had been almost total for nearly a century; as Elysian Venus she had barely fought against any true enemies, and she remembered there being very, very few attacks on Earth when Tiffany was a child. Also, meetings to which all the senshi of all four (not including her) generations were called were very rare indeed.

Celine looked up as Neo-Queen Serenity began speaking.

"We have sensed a darkness of immense power originating from somewhere west of Venus. We do not know what is the cause of this demonic energy, however we _must _be cautious; Mercury's scans tell us that this entity's power is on a par with that of Chaos himself."

With that last statement, a collective silence filled the room. Celine could tell that everyone there was probably as shocked by Serenity's announcement as she was.

Minako looked at the other Venus senshi, noting that they seemed as worried as she felt. So, an immensely powerful dark force had appeared, the strongest to be felt since Chaos itself, and it was near to their planet. Minako sighed; that, coupled with Celine's abrupt personality change, showed that nothing good was to come in the immediate future: and all around her, the others were thinking the same.

* * *

That night Celine's thoughts were still on the day's discussion. Venus, Venus, why had such darkness appeared around Venus?

She shook the thoughts from her mind and closed her eyes to sleep. Little did she know that her sleep would be more disturbing and haunted than the day's events could ever have been.

Darkness: all she could see was limitless, never-ending darkness. There was nothing within the darkness, absolutely nothing. Celine shivered; it was not cold there but she was afraid, so afraid, that she felt chilled to her very soul.

"Celine," a voice spoke within the darkness. "Celine. Celine."

Celine spun around, searching for the source of the disembodied voice.

"Celine. Look. I am here, Celine. I am here, and you will see me if you just look for me."

Celine shivered; that voice was cold, colder than the coldest ice and it was dripping with pure malice and hatred that made Celine feel chilled to her very soul.

"Hello, Celine." The voice spoke again and Celine started as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Celine spun around and found herself face-to-face with… herself.

Yes, the woman who faced Celine seemed a future version of her, and yet she was not. Yes, although the woman appeared to be an older version of Celine, she was anything but. Her aura was one of pure darkness that put that of Chaos itself to shame. However, even more frightening than that demonic aura were the woman's eyes; they were blank, colourless, emotionless and dead. Celine tore her eyes away from the eyes of the beautiful and yet demonic woman. The woman smiled, but her eyes remained as cold and icy as ever.

"W… wh… wh… who are you?" Celine asked the beautiful demon.

"Me?" she spoke with a voice that would have made the arctic itself seem as hot as a desert. "I am _you _Celine. I am _you_."

"No," Celine hissed. "No, you can't be! I won't believe you; this is a dream: you aren't real, and you _aren't _me!"

"Very well," the demon replied. "We will meet in the flesh soon enough. You may wish to forget my face, but remember the name I will give you; I am Sendoma Luna Venus."

With that she disappeared, leaving only the echo of her voice. 'Luna Venus. Luna Venus. Luna Venus.'

Then the darkness closed in on Celine and she fell into a deep sleep.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter five 

Eri stood on the balcony of her family's quarters, staring out at the setting sun as it bathed the buildings of Crystal Tokyo in rays of molten gold and made the Palace itself seem almost ethereal. Why, on evenings such as this, Eri often thought that the Palace, while it appeared to be on Earth, was truly at the heart of the gardens of Elysian.

The sight of Crystal Tokyo in twilight was normally enough to send Eri into a calm, dreamy state and make her mind wander and dream of the future. However, that night was different, very different indeed. But then again, Celine was so very different after it had been revealed that she was a senshi that Eri couldn't help but wonder how the news had affected her. Eri knew that it was natural for Celine to act a little different – Eri knew that she would surely have been extremely shocked had she been told she was a senshi – but all the same, she was worried. Celine had turned from a bright, bubbly girl into a shy, cold, antisocial and withdrawn one within the space of a week; and surely, Eri thought, that wasn't natural.

Eri looked up at Venus, its shining, reddish form sparkling like topaz in the sky, and turned around. She had made a decision; Celine's behaviour had worried her so much that she was going to go to the one person whom she knew would be able to help Celine: she was going to see her great-great-grandmother, Minako.

* * *

"So, Celine's been acting strange lately?" Minako asked Eri, who nodded.

Minako had been quite surprised by Eri's appearance at her quarters; Eri was probably the quietest one in Minako's family as she always had her head in some sort of novel or was staring into space, daydreaming, so it shocked Minako to see Eri being so serious.

"How has Celine changed?"

"She's become so withdrawn, so cold… it's almost as though… but that can't be right…" Eri trailed off, her brow creased in thought.

"What is it, Eri?"

"It's almost as though she's been possessed." Eri sighed. "It's a stupid theory, I know; senshi can't be possessed… can they?"

"I'm afraid they can," Minako replied. "Hotaru, Maggie, Ariel and Annika were all possessed as children."

"Do you think that that may be what's happened to Celine?"

"Maybe so: from the personality shift you've described, I don't know what else it could be… unless…"

Minako jumped up and said, "Thank you for telling me this, Eri-chan: I have to go now; I have a very important meeting that I just remembered about."  
Then she left quickly, leaving a confused Eri sitting in her quarters.

* * *

"Mother?" Gloria asked, surprised as she opened the door of her quarters. "How are you; you seemed worried."

"Where's Celine?"

"She's in her room; you know, she's become more and more isolated recently; I'm worried about her: do you think I should take her to see Ami?"

"I don't know," Minako replied. "All I do know is that I need to speak to her _now_."

"Like I said, she's in her room," Gloria replied, somewhat confused by her mother's behaviour, as she watched Minako rush up the stairs to Celine's room.

* * *

Celine was sitting in her room with the window open and all the lights on. She was not alone, although had anyone been there then they would have presumed that she was. No, she was far from alone; ever since the dream a few nights ago she had been hearing that voice, the same voice from that nightmare. The voice of the demoness who had taken a body that was an exact copy of Celine's own, apart from the eyes… those icy, colourless, dead-looking eyes. Celine shivered as she thought of those eyes, eyes that should not have been seen on the body of any living being.

'_Who said I'm **alive **Celine?'_

Celine shook her head again. "Shut up," she hissed.

Celine jumped as the door to her room opened and her grandmother entered.

"Minako-san, what are you doing here?" Celine asked, the words coming out more clipped and cold than she had intended them to be.

"How are you feeling, Celine?"

"Fine," Celine replied, once again finding herself using that uncannily cold tone of voice. "Don't worry about me, I'm just fine."

'_You just keep telling yourself that.'_

"Look, Celine, no matter what you may have done in your past life, you must remember that we all still love you."  
_  
'Don't listen to her, Celine. After all, what did she do in your past life but lie to you? Expect no truth from that one; she is the worst of them.'_

"Celine, are you alright… you look troubled. If it has anything to do with…"

'_Don't listen to her. They all hate you, no matter what they say. It's all lies, all of it. With me, however, all you will get is the truth. And what I say now is the truth; you must harm them, all of them, just as they have harmed you. Yes, Celine, you must harm them just as they did you: an eye for an eye, no? Listen to me… listen to the truth that your own mind speaks, for you know in your soul that **I am right**." _

"Shut up!" Celine hissed at the voice. "Just shut up and leave me in peace!"

Celine blinked and remembered that her grandmother was in the room also. Minako looked up at Celine, hurt, and sighed.

"I'll always be here for you when you need me, Celine; we all will, just you remember that."

With that Minako left Celine alone in her room… alone with the demon, the voice that plagued her.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter six 

The hall appeared to be made of ice, but no one could tell what it truly was as it forever remained shrouded in a demonic darkness. The hall was at the centre of the Magallen'ah(1) Palace, and it was the lair of none other than the demon with whom Celine had been struggling.  
Venusi'ah(2) Celena sat upon an ice throne that was risen on a dais at the far end of the hall. Her eyes were as colourless and haunted as ever, but her lips were twisted into a bitter mockery of a smile. She seemed pleased, as though something for which she had waited for many millennia had finally come to pass: and, indeed, it had.

"Celine," she laughed, her hollow voice reverberating off the walls of the shadowed, empty hall. "Princess Venusi'ah Celine. You have been mine to control since before you were born, and soon, very soon, you will be mine to control once more.

"Yes, very soon, there will be nothing left of you, and I shall be able to take your legendary senshi crystal from you and use its power combined with my own in order to do as I aimed to five thousand years ago. Soon, very soon, you will be mine, and I will have my revenge!"  
With that she let out a laugh that was humourless and dark as the screeching of a man condemned in Hell; and Celena was in Hell, or what was the closest thing to it in this universe. She was at the centre of Magellan, the once glorious Venusian kingdom, which had fallen millennia ago, but, if Celena had her way, Magellan would soon rise up once more and take the place of Terra(3) at the centre of the universe's power.

'_Yes, very soon she will be mine, and through the combined power of her senshi crystal and my own, I shall rule the universe!'_

_

* * *

**(1) Magellan'ah. In ancient Galacxian, the suffix 'ah' was used to mean 'of', so therefore Magellan'ah Castle would mean 'Castle of Magellan'.**_

_**(2) Venusi'ah. Venusi'ah was the name of the royal family of Venus, so that is the name of their bloodline and therefore, had the Silver Alliance not fallen, Celine's name would have been 'Venusi'ah Celine'.**_

_**(3) Terra. Terra is the ancient Galacxian name for Earth, though the earthlings themselves have always referred to the planet by the name by which it is most widely known today.

* * *

**_

**_Review Response: _**

Richforce: Thanks. I tried to make it kind of eerie. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter seven 

Celine sat there, thinking, as people began filing out of the park. She knew that she was missing cram school and that her mother would probably ground her for doing it, but she didn't care. All that Celine wanted was some peace and quiet, a break from the voice that had been haunting her: and, luckily, the voice had gone. But all the same Celine felt, if anything, more scared than ever.

It was as though the voice, though it had left her mind, had come in the flesh to meet her. She shivered as she remembered what the dark one, Celena, had said: 'We shall meet again soon, in the flesh.'

Celine sighed and stood up. Even though she wanted peace and quiet, the unnerving feeling she was getting was just too strong for her to stand. She had just begun to walk out of the park, mentally preparing herself for the lecture she was going to get for skipping cram school she saw something out of the corner of her eye. There was something, or someone, standing in the shadow of an old sakura tree. Celine wondered who it was and was just about to go over and look when a sharp pain shot right through her heart. Surrounding the figure was an aura of energy so dark as to have come from the heart of Chaos itself. Without even bothering to check whom the figure was, Celine pulled out her heshin pen and yelled, "Solar Venus Transformation!"

She then stood there in a gold and red fuku that was reminiscent of Sailor V's, with a deep gold mask covering her eyes.

"I knew you'd show up eventually."

Celine started… that voice! She knew that voice… but that must mean…

"Celena," Solar Venus growled.

"That's right," the demon laughed, stepping out from the shadows and revealing herself to Solar Venus. She appeared, just as she had in the dream, to be an older Celine, except for her eyes. Her eyes were cold, colourless, ice-like and soulless as they always had been and Solar Venus barely stopped herself from shuddering at the sight of such eyes.

"Well, well… the little brat's going to play senshi with me, hmmm? Well two can play at that game." Celena closed her eyes for a second and a black crystal appeared in her hands.

"Luna Venus Darkness Transform!" Celena yelled. She was enveloped in a sphere of darkness, and when that subsided she was revealed to be wearing a black and silver fuku reminiscent of those worn by Sailor Lethe and Sailor Mnemosyne, except she also wore a silver cape that swept down to the ground behind her.

"Well, well, little senshi; you better watch out because your playing with the big girls now," Luna Venus smirked, throwing a punch at Solar Venus, who quickly blocked it.

"In case you've forgotten," Solar Venus replied, "I've got more than a lifetime's worth of experience already when it comes to fighting creatures like you."

"And I," Luna Venus replied, "have over five thousand years worth of experience."

Solar Venus internally paled, but she did not let her fear show as she launched her first attack at Luna Venus.

"Venus Solar Flames Strike!" spheres of bright white fire shot towards Luna Venus, who dodged the attack as if it were nothing.

"Is that the best you've got?" Luna Venus taunted, laughing. "Here, I'll show you a _real _attack now, brat.

"Magellan Volcanic Flare!" Luna Venus thrust her hands skywards as the ground cracked and lava flew out of it. Solar Venus just about managed to jump out of the way, but not before sustaining a deep burn on her leg. She flinched; she'd have to have Aunt Hotaru or Aunt Madelyn heal that for her later. But now she had other things on her mind.

"Venus Solar Flames Strike!" she yelled again, but once again it did nothing to Luna Venus.

"Really Celine, you must be more powerful than _that_," Luna Venus laughed. "Did my last attack not show you what you're up against? Well, it obviously didn't if you still think that that wimpy thing you call an attack could ever harm me. Well, let me show you again then.

"Venus Dark Energy Blast!" Luna Venus let loose a stream of dark energy, which this time struck Solar Venus directly. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the laughing figure of Luna Venus disappearing into the now dark sky.


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter eight 

Darkness. Sheer, complete, eternal, never-ending darkness. And then Celine opened her eyes and found herself lying in a hospital bed. What had happened? Why was she there? Then it all came flooding back to her; Luna Venus… the darkness… she shuddered.

"Finally, you're awake."

Celine looked up and saw her Aunt Hannah standing over her. Hannah, just like Madelyn and Hotaru, had become a healer. (Giselle was the only Saturnian senshi to have entered a different profession, much like Melody was the only Mercurian senshi not to have become a doctor.)

Hannah smiled at Celine and asked her how she felt.

"I feel fine," Celine replied, being completely truthful; she did feel completely fine, and she didn't want to spend much longer in hospital.

"I think your mother will want to know you're awake," Hannah said, bustling off to get Gloria.

Soon Gloria, along with Minako and Maggie – who was once again mentoring Celine, just as she had in her past life – appeared at her side.

"We've been so worried," Gloria gasped. "I'm glad to know your feeling better. I think you'll only need to stay here for one more day."

"Mother, I feel fine," Celine insisted. "Can't I just go home now?"

Gloria shook her head, "Ami-san needs to run some tests on you, to see what affect those attacks had on you."

"But Mother…"

"No buts," Minako said, in a tone of voice that stated that the conversation was over. Celine glared at her but Minako didn't reply.

* * *

Maggie sighed as she joined her mother at the Gates of Time.

She noticed that her mother seemed deeply troubled by something, but she couldn't figure out what; there had been no disturbances in the Time Stream – she, Rose and Jasmine would have known if there had been – and she didn't know what else would trouble her mother so much. Unless…

"It's Celine, isn't it?" Maggie asked Setsuna, who simply nodded in reply.

"It seems that an ancient enemy has awoken yet again," Setsuna sighed.

"Ancient enemy?"

"One who was a foe to our family when my grandmother was queen of Pluto."

"But wasn't that over five millennia ago?" Maggie found herself asking Setsuna, who nodded again.

"It seems like an ancient curse truly has come to pass," Setsuna said. "It affects us all, but the Venus senshi in particular. We must call a meeting soon in order to discuss this matter and inform our fellows of the true identity of our foe."

"And who is she?"

"Her name is Venusi'ah Celena."

* * *

Celine sat in the meeting hall, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for the meeting to begin. She had finally been let out of hospital and was planning to go and see Eri when, guess what, they called a bloody meeting! No matter how happy Celine was, the meetings bored her to death; it was all tactics this, strategy that, security this, youma that. but then again, the Pluto senshi were there this time, so something told her that this meeting might actually be of some interest.

Silence descended in the hall as Serenity motioned for Setsuna to speak. The senshi of Pluto got to her feet and began to speak.

"You have all been called here today for one reason and one reason only; I have figured out whom our new foe is."  
This statement was met with silence as everyone turned their full attention to the Plutonian senshi in order to hear her explanation.

"You see, this enemy is not, as even Celine herself thought, Celine's dark side. No, this enemy is much older and more powerful than any of us expected. Her name is Venusi'ah Celena and she was once a ruler of Venus, or at least she wished to be, and that is where her story, which I shall tell to you now, begins in truth.

"Celena was the second daughter of Queen Topaz of Venusiah, or the planet which we today call Venus. Due to the premature death of both of Celena's parents, Celena's elder sister Aphrodite became Queen of Venus, while Celena became ruler of Venus only moon, Magellan.

"Celena, however, had always been power-hungry to the extent that one might have mistaken her for one of Chaos' most powerful minions, albeit a beautiful one. This thirst for power led Celena to make a pact with Chaos. In exchange for the ability to overthrow her sister –, who was head not only of Venus but of Mars, Mercury, Astarte(1) and Astrea(2), as well as all other rulers who would pose a threat to her –, Celena sold not only her soul but her beauty also.

"With the help of Chaos, Celena amassed an army to overthrow her sister. This, however, went against all the laws imposed by the rule of the Solaris'ah Empire ( the ruling government on Solaris (the sun) for the Silver Millennium had not even been founded at this time) and did not go unstopped.

"There was a brutal war between the forces of Solaris, Earth, Saturn and Pluto (for they were the ruling planets at that time), and Celena's demonic armies. Eventually the allied forces won; my grandmother, Queen Kali of Pluto, used all of her energy in order to seal away Celena's spirit, but not before Celena cursed her own family so that every seventh generation a child of pure evil would be born, a child that she would control. Even if that child died and was reborn, he or she would still be cursed – this is what we now face.

"You see, unless Celena is killed, the curse will carry on through the House of Venus, and more will have to suffer like both Celine and Tiffany had to."  
After that tale, the room was silent. Celine looked up at Pluto, a look of great seriousness in her cold blue-grey eyes, and asked, "What do we have to do?"

* * *

_**(1) Astarte is a small planet even closer to the sun than Mercury. The Galacxian Government destroyed it, like Astrea, at the same time as the 'Sleep' was placed on Saturn and Atlantis, the main city of Earth, fell from power.**_

_**(2) Astrea was the name of the planet where the asteroid belt now lies.**_


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter nine 

Celine sat on the edge of her bed, her heart racing. So, they had to go to Venus tomorrow, to the castle of Magellan. And then… and then. She shook her head; she didn't want to think about that; no matter how evil Celena was she was still human – or at least partially human – and no human deserved to… to… to die.

She shook her head; none of the other senshi had thought of that; they thought of Celena as nothing more than another youma; no, she was not human to them. Celine shook her head; she couldn't afford to think that way any more; Celena had cursed her family, and she had to be killed in order that the curse would be broken.

Celine shook those thoughts from her mind and lay back on her pillows and, though she was sure that unrest would plague her, she fell asleep immediately, almost as though someone else had commanded her to.

* * *

Darkness surrounded Celine once more as she entered the dream world. Celine looked around the darkness and saw nothing. There was nothing around her apart from the darkness itself. And then she saw it… a light within the darkness. Celine looked at the light and, despite herself, she began to run towards it. She didn't know where or what exactly the light was coming from, all she knew was that light was preferable to the sheer darkness that surrounded her on all other sides. 

"Celine," a voice called to her. Celine didn't recognise the voice, but she felt that she could trust whoever it was that was speaking.

Celine continued running, and then, quite suddenly, she was not just near to the light… she was right inside of it. She stared around, wondering what this light truly was, for it seemed to be too pure to be nothing more than light.

"Celine," the voice called, louder that time, almost as though the source of the voice was right next to her. Celine spun around and found herself face-to-face with a woman.

The woman smiled at Celine, her grey eyes, so like Celine's, lighting up as she did so. Yes, her eyes were as like ice as her flaming red hair, so very like Tiffany's, was like fire. But her eyes, though ice-like in colour, were not the windows to an apathetic soul as Celena's were.

"So, you came," the woman smiled.

"Who… who are you?" Celine asked, not bothering to ask what she was supposed to have come for.

"I am Venusi'ah Aphrodite," came the reply.

'Venusi'ah Aphrodite? Is she the sister of Celena?' Celine wondered.

Aphrodite nodded and laughed "I am indeed."

At that, Celine was startled, for she was certain that she had not spoken those words aloud.

"No, you didn't. I can hear your thoughts, just as you would hear mine if you were to try. Just as you hear my sister's voice," Aphrodite smiled. "However, let us get straight to the point. I have been waiting for you for millennia now, Venusi'ah Celine, and now, now you have finally come."

"You've been waiting for me?" Celine asked, confused. "Whatever for?"

"Because you are the legendary senshi who finally joins together the powers of the planets with the powers of the stars."

"What?"

"You are Sailor Solar Venus, are you not?"

"Yes, but what do you mean 'legendary senshi who finally joins together the powers of the planets with the powers of the stars'? I'm not legendary, and my powers draw from Venus, nowhere else."

"Oh but Celine, your coming was prophesised millennia ago," Aphrodite chuckled, sounding amused by Celine's lack of knowledge about herself. "And as for your powers, you'll find out in time. However, you are soon to embark on a mission to defeat my sister, are you not?"  
Celine nodded and internally shivered; she didn't want to kill Celena, no matter what she may have done.

"I have something for you," Aphrodite smiled. She closed her eyes and an aura of pure light appeared around her. Seconds later, the light began to mould itself into a solid form and a bow that appeared to be made of the light itself appeared in her hands and she handed it to Celine.

Celine gasped; she had a weapon now, a bow like her mother had. She closed her fingers around it and felt warmth spread throughout her entire body.

"This," Aphrodite said, "is the Solar Bow. My eldest son, Eros, crafted it by magic when we heard the prophecy of your coming. It will appear to you in times of dire need. Use it well."

With that Aphrodite's figure and the light faded, leaving Celine in a deep, peaceful slumber, for she had forgotten completely what she would have to do the next day.

* * *

_**Review response: **_

Richforce: Thanks again! I hope you liked this part too!


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter ten 

Solar Venus stood next to her fellow Venusian senshi, near the Gates of Time. It had been decided that, because the curse had been placed solely on the Venusian line, the five senshi of Venus would be the ones to finally defeat Celena.

Venus smiled, her look of confidence giving the others reassurance, somewhat. Venus and Cosmic Venus seemed the only two who were not in the least worried about their mission, for both of them had survived much worse than that, whereas Crystal and Neo-Elysian Venus, like Solar Venus, had never really experienced battle against a true enemy.

"So is everyone ready for this?" Venus asked. Her question was met with nods from all four of her companions. "Then let's go."

Solar Venus closed her eyes but even so she could still see her companions yellow/orange power-auras as well as her own. She felt a strange, indescribable sensation, and when she opened her eyes she found that they were floating above Venus.

Yes, her mother-planet was exactly like she'd expected, except for one small detail…

"I didn't know that Venus had a moon," Neo-Elysian Venus said, voicing Solar Venus' exact thoughts.

"Well, it obviously does," Cosmic Venus said, sounding as shocked as Solar Venus felt.

"It's cloaked by magic so ancient that only we with the blood of the House of Venus are able to see it," Venus said, answering the question. "And it's on Magellan that our enemy has her base."

"So we have to go down there?" Solar Venus gulped. Venus may have appeared to have a stormy surface, but it was nothing compared to Magellan. Strangely red storm clouds circled the moon of Venus, and forked lightning was visible even at the altitude they were at.

"Come on," Crystal Venus muttered, sounding as uneasy as Solar Venus. "Let's go. Let's go and put an end to the curse this demon has placed on our family."

The surface of Magellan was, there was no other word for it, desolate. It was as lifeless as a corpse and there were no signs that life had ever been there at all. No signs, that is, except for the gigantic basalt palace that stood out in stark contrast to the fiery, volcanic, desert landscape.

Solar Venus shivered as she stood there, listening to the others debate how they should enter, when the palace doors swung open and a jet of black fire came from within the palace itself. Then they heard a voice speak, echoing through the desert-lands of Magellan.

"Welcome, senshi. Welcome here, to Magellan'ah Palace."


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter eleven 

Solar Venus gasped as Celena, then Luna Venus, stepped out of the castle to meet them. It was not the fact that she was finally face to face with her enemy; no, it was Luna Venus' true appearance that startled her.

Luna Venus was tall, much taller than they were, and as colourless as a ghost. Her straight hair, which fell down to her waist, her skin and her eyes were all colourless and this, combined with her black senshi fuku and black and silver staff, made her appear to be a demon in truth.

"So," Luna Venus spoke in her usual, emotionless tone, "you're finally here."

"You think we'd let a demon like you, who'd cursed out family, live in peace?" Cosmic Venus spat.

"Don't try and play hero with me," Luna Venus said, sounding almost weary. "All I want to do is talk to you. Now if you'd kindly step inside…"

"Do you think we're stupid enough to fall for that?" Cosmic Venus asked, laughing. "Venus Beautiful Shock-wave!"

Luna Venus dodged out of the way of the attack.

"Just listen to me!" she yelled. "Honestly, if you'd just stop and think for a minute you'd know why I placed that curse on my own House."

"Why should we?" Crystal Venus asked. "We know full well why you cursed us: your own jealousy."

"No," she sighed. "There is a reason I need the power of the ginzuishou…"

"No! I won't listen to your lies!" Crystal Venus yelled. "Venus Rolling Heart Vibration!"

Luna Venus dodged again, but only just.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Venus Beautiful Shock-wave!"

"Venus Star-beam Strike!"

"Venus Rolling Heart Vibration!"

"Venus Solar Flames Strike!"

These combined attacks hit Luna Venus, knocking her off her feet, but she quickly stood up again.

"So, you're not even going to try and listen?" Luna Venus spat. "Fine. Be that way.

"Magellan Volcanic Flare!"

The ground split open and, with ten times the force it had had on Earth, lava burst out of the ground, forcing the Venus senshi to dodge.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Venus Dark Energy Blast!"

The two attacks collided in mid-air, resulting in a loud explosion.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"

The attack hit Luna Venus, but it had no visible effect apart from a small scratch.

"Magellan Demon Flames Envelop!"

The attack branched out in all directions, and Solar Venus instinctively knew that they were done for. She closed her eyes, waiting for the blow to strike, but it never came. Instead, she felt warmth spreading throughout her once more and a bow made of pure light energy appeared in her hands.

"Venus Light Arrow Strike!"

The arrow, also made of pure light, shot through the flames and stopped them in the exact same way that a water-based attack would have.

Solar Venus closed her eyes and felt her family's powers of light and love combining with her own. "Venus Light Arrow… Strike!"

The flaming arrow this time met its mark and struck Luna Venus in the heart. She screamed with pain and tears began to snake their way down her cheeks. Just as her transformation broke, a figure appeared in front of her… Aphrodite. She wrapped her arms around Celena's broken body and they disappeared. However, Solar Venus could have sworn that a look of sheer terror and utmost despair crossed Celena's face just before she disappeared, and her lips formed the words, 'help me.'

However, Solar Venus did not have much time to dwell on this as her transformation broke and she fainted.


	13. Epilogue

Epilogue

Celine stood in her room, in the darkness, staring out of the window at the moon as its light drenched the otherwise sable night in rays of molten silver.

Celine knew that the moon and the darkness would usually have scared her, but no, not now, not anymore.

Since she had woken up the day before, having been unconscious for three days prior to that, Celine had felt a sense of freedom that she had not felt since, since… forever.

Celine smiled and sighed. Her family had forgiven her and it would not be long until she too could forgive herself for what she had done, or rather what Celena's curse had made her do.

Talking of Celena, Celine wondered what that look of despair that had crossed her face as she died had truly meant. Should they really have listened to her instead of just fighting?

But it did not matter now anyway. The curse had been broken. She was finally free. The moon and the night did not scare her any more, for she knew that the darkness could never touch her in that way again. After all, the curse was ended and Celena was dead… wasn't she?

_Owari_


End file.
